Dominant York baffled by home defeat as BUSA drought goes on
York Mens Firsts must wonder what they have to do in order to break their BUSA duck. Despite some excellent form in other competitions York are still looking for their first points this season. The 3-2 home defeat at the hands was their fourth in a row and yet the performance surely warranted at the very least a share of the points.
If ever there were a correct term to use the cliché “a game of two halves”, this was it. Even the most biased York supporter would surely accept that the 3-1 score-line going into the break was a fair reflection of Durham Seconds’ early dominance. Come the end of the game however, the home side were justifiably feeling more than a little hard done by at the eventual 3-2 full time score.
Durham started the livelier of the two teams, and this greater sense of urgency explains their 12th minute opener, a scrappy header in the six yard box resulting from a deflected shot across the area.
Durham’s second followed soon after, and this was nothing short of sublime. A perfectly weighted through-ball from the Durham right winger cut open a helpless York defence. Despite keeper and Captain Ben MacPherson’s brave attempt to close the ball down, the Durham no.10 was quick to meet it, and from the edge of the area, he lifted the ball over MacPherson, with enough spin to bring it round the right post and into the top corner.
Strangely however, this proved to be the catalyst that York needed, and prompted a good spell down the left wing that produced a number of chances, and eventually culminated in a goal that York badly needed. A good run down the left produced an opportunity on the edge of the area. The resulting shot was saved, as was its follow up. Mark Redding however made no mistake in making sure his first time strike, and York’s third effort in as many seconds found the target.
A rejuvenated York side from here on in seemed to find another gear, and it was not for want of opportunities but for want of shots that prevented another goal before the break. This momentum carried into the second half, and for the first fifteen minutes Durham seemed incapable of getting the ball out of their own half. Chance after chance fell to the home side, and only the combination of a dubious offside call, some unfortunate deflections and the lack of a clinical final ball delayed evidence of York’s second-half dominance. It was entirely against the run of play therefore when Durham found the net from 20 yards in the 58th minute.
Not deterred however, York’s dominance continued, and a number of attempts on goal followed. York were tackling high up the pitch, and some great link-up play between Matt Martin and Mark Redding proved to be very productive. The 71st minute witnessed a prime example of this, when only a fully stretched diving save from the Durham keeper prevented a superb strike from finding the net.
Two minutes later York finally found their second. A scrappy but deserved shot from Ryan Heaps was the form in which it came. Whilst this was the end of the scoring, York’s attacking onslaught continued. It was indicative of the second half as a whole that the final touch of the ball was an effort from Martin again for a York side desperately seeking an equaliser in the dying minutes.
Firsts Captain Ben MacPherson was ‘proud the lads didn’t give up’ but ‘disappointed not to have won’. He was none the less encouraged by the performance, and considered it a great improvement on last year’s BUSA League performances which saw York winless and with only a single point and were subsequently relegated.
‘Luck’ is what the captain suggested was missing, and this seems a fair assessment. This is perhaps the final factor that York will have to rely on if they are to have any chance of seeing their dominance of matches translate into points in a BUSA competition which has held few highlights over the past year or so.
BUSA Northern Conference Men’s 3B
Current Standings:
1. Leeds Metro 2nds
2. Trinity & Saints
3. Durham 2nds
4. Leeds Metro 3rds
5. Huddersfield 1sts
6. York 1sts
Past Results:
York 1sts 0-4 Trinity & Saints
York 1sts 2-4 Leeds Metro 2nds
Durham 2nds 3-2 York 1sts
(Sam Cartwright)
